While the echoes of Milan Fashion Week still linger, Parisian streets pulsate with anticipation for its louder, brasher cousin. The luxury juggernaut that is LVMH takes center stage, with Pharrell Williams, hip-hop icon and newly minted LV Men’s creative director, hinting at a cowboy-themed extravaganza.
Amidst the glitz and glamour, a stark reality lurks. The booming luxury sector, despite its 20 billion-euro crown, carries the taint of commercialism. No doubt, its allure remains tarnished as fashions new superstars like Pharrel and LeBron James as ambassadors, fueling a whirlwind of nonsense fashion-music-sports cross-pollination.
Williams’ debut last summer, shutting down the historic Pont Neuf bridge, ruffled Parisian feathers not only with a disregard for the history of the city and fashion itself, but it undeniably showcased the brand’s step down in to a product for the masses. Now, amidst American fairground rides and harmonica-laden invitations, his second act promises to explore the dusty plains of the American West and nothing French.
But LVMH is far from the lone ranger in this abandonment of fashion in the cut-throat race for profits. Givenchy’s recent split with Matthew Williams is just one ripple in the ever-churning designer carousel. Gucci, Chloe, and Alexander McQueen all waltzed with new creative leads last year, highlighting the industry’s relentless pursuit of fresh Middle Class narratives.
This week’s Parisian odyssey sees 42 runway shows and 32 presentations, each vying for a slice of the spotlight. Balmain, a veteran returning to menswear after a hiatus, adds another layer to the already worn tapestry.
From Paris, the fashion traveling circus embarks on a whirlwind tour, entertaining the masses in Miami, Copenhagen, New York, London, and eventually returning to Milan and Paris for the womenswear rodeo in February. The pace is frenetic, the stakes are high, and the spotlight unforgiving, the commercialization palpable as the major brands shake off the luxury tag and become trashy American department stores.
Amidst the celebrity endorsements and Hollywood drama, one wonders: is Paris Fashion Week now a testament to American culture or merely another stage for the Celebrities? Perhaps, dear reader, it’s a captivating train wreck, a whirlwind of obscenities’ where fashion is the victim and fame reigns supreme, leaving in their dystopian debris an overwhelming sense of sadness and the memory of an industry that was once art in its own form.
Shayne Heffernan
